Fallen Knight
by Dragovian Knight
Summary: After Michael's death, KITT struggles to accept a new partner. Then his world is turned upside-down again.
1. Prologue

"I told you the last time you brought someone in, KITT isn't ready." Bonnie's voice was hushed, but her anger was unmistakable.

"What would you have me do?" Unlike Bonnie, Devon was making no effort to keep his voice down, testament to the amount of stress he was under; KITT didn't even have to boost his sensors to pick up the words from the other side of the door. "I can hardly explain to the government that our field operations are suspended while our car works through the grieving process."

"Tell them we haven't completed repairs, then. Tell them _something._"

"As much as I would like to give KITT time, there are limits. I'm afraid you've long since proved yourself far too efficient at keeping him on the road."

"Devon." Bonnie's voice faltered, dropped. "I can't fix this."

"I know you can't. But..."

KITT dropped his sensors back to their passive setting. Devon and Bonnie had been having variations on this argument for three days, since Bonnie had completed repairs on his primary systems, and KITT projected at least another three days before Bonnie finally gave in and let Devon introduce any candidates for Michael's replacement. Thus far, neither of them had asked KITT his opinion on the matter. Normally, such an oversight would have offended him, but at the moment he would have no answer even if they did ask. Not when he had no interest in returning to duty as his programming demanded.

Unbidden, his memory banks summoned up the details of that night. He had already analyzed the data more times than he cared to count, his efforts both fruitless and pointless, yet he couldn't seem to stop himself from going over every second, searching for what he had missed, for some way he could have saved Michael. The data remained stubbornly unchanging no matter how many times he went over it: no sign of an incendiary device, no sign of anyone but Michael in the building, then Michael's commlink dying, and seven point three five seconds later, an explosion ripping through the warehouse.

He always tried to stop the playback there - before he smashed through the weakened wall in a frantic effort to find Michael, before the remains of the building collapsed on him and he had to fight his way free, still hoping for some sign, even when it became clear he wouldn't find anything but Michael's body - but he never succeeded, and the memories left him feeling as drained as he had been when he limped back to the semi and reported his failure to Devon and Bonnie.

This afternoon, though, the playback loop was interrupted. "I'm sorry, KITT," Bonnie said softly; for the first time, KITT noticed how tired she looked. "I tried to stop him, but he's right, we can't make excuses forever."

KITT was glad he couldn't show surprise, but wondered if there really was some remaining damage, for him to have misinterpreted the data so badly. "You've selected a new driver for me, then."

"No, of course not. But Devon's insistent that you start to meet the candidates." Bonnie ran a hand ran along the door frame, frowning a little, as if she'd found a flaw in his molecular bonded shell. "The final choice will be yours, I promise."

"What if I don't like any of them?"

"We'll bring in others."

Bonnie was sincere, KITT knew. He also knew she was in no position to make such a promise. She could argue with Devon all she liked, but in the end, they were working with a limited pool of qualified candidates, and the government was in a position to force their hand. In the end, she would have to yield, just as she had today.

His hesitation was probably too slight for her to have noticed. "Very well, Bonnie, I find those conditions acceptable. When do I meet the first candidate?"

"Devon's gone to get him." Bonnie moved away, toward one of the computer banks along the wall. "His name is Ben Jacobs; I'll download his personnel profile into your system."

"Thank you, Bonnie," KITT said quietly, though what he felt was more like panic than gratitude. He couldn't take his agreement back, and now he was going to be partnered with someone new.

Michael was really gone.


	2. First Impressions

"KITT, I'd like to you meet Alicia Drake."

The upbeat tone of Devon's voice was forced, according to KITT's voice stress analyzer, and KITT privately shared the man's lack of enthusiasm. Alicia Drake - age thirty-two and a police detective, according to the file Bonnie had uploaded, one hundred sixty two centimeters and fifty-six kilograms, according to his scanners - was the seventh candidate he'd endured in the past thirteen days; five of her predecessors hadn't even lasted through the brief tour of the surrounding countryside which Bonnie designed as a means of introducing them to KITT's capabilities.

"Hi, KITT." Alicia looked directly at him when she spoke, and didn't seem to be embarrassed to be talking to a car, which put her ahead of a full sixty-six point seven percent of the previous candidates. "I've been looking forward to meeting you. My friends call me Ali."

"I am pleased to meet you, Ms. Drake."

She was clearly taken aback by his reaction, and Devon said quickly, "Ah, yes, KITT's sense of propriety does take a bit of getting used to, I'm afraid." He touched her shoulder, turning her back toward the door as he continued, "Now, let me go over the course you'll be taking. It covers quite a wide variety of terrain, so you can get a sense of the full range of KITT's abilities."

Bonnie remained behind while they left. Her pulse and blood pressure were elevated, and as soon as the door closed she snapped, "That was uncalled for, KITT."

"What was?" Having Bonnie angry at him was a nearly unheard-of situation, even considering the kind of strain she and Devon had been under lately.

"Don't play games with me. You're better with people than that, and we both know it."

"You heard her, Bonnie; she said that's what her friends call her. I just met the woman. We're barely acquaintances."

It was a weak defense, and Bonnie ignored it. "Eventually, you have to give one of these people a chance."

"I've given them each a chance."

"Three of them you traumatized so badly during the introductory course that they refused to be in the same building with you..."

"Which means they certainly weren't cut out to make it through an actual mission."

"...one you left on the side of the road..."

"He asked to be let out."

"...one you _ejected_..."

"I told you at the beginning I was absolutely not going to put up with Charles calling me 'little buddy' again."

"...and the one assignment you did go on, you abandoned your partner before the mission was even over!"

"That's not true. The mission ended when we apprehended our target. I merely chose not to return to the Foundation in Mr. Takashi's company."

"You left him at a motel in Victorville." Bonnie sighed, rubbing at her forehead. "KITT, Michael isn't going to walk through the door and fix things this time. You have to choose someone."

KITT was silent for a moment, analyzing Bonnie's anger, Devon's clear displeasure with him, and coming to the only logical conclusion. "This is the last candidate, isn't it?"

"No. But the two who are left barely made the list. She's the best chance you have left, KITT. At least promise me you'll try to get along?"

"I make no promises of my success, Bonnie, but I will try."

***

"...and I can assure you that, whatever you heard from the other candidates, the preservation of human life is paramount in KITT's programming," Devon was saying when he and Alicia returned.

"Then I guess the only thing left is to see whether I have the right stuff."

Devon smiled with obvious relief. "I shall leave you in KITT's capable hands, then."

Knowing a cue when he heard one, KITT opened his driver's side door. "Welcome aboard, Ms. Drake."

"We'll see you two in a few hours," Devon said as Alicia settled into the driver's seat. KITT closed the door for her, and Devon added under his breath, "Do try to come back with this one, KITT."

"In approximately three point five seven hours," KITT assured him, shifting into reverse.

Unlike Michael, none of the candidates KITT had met over the past weeks had insisted upon driving for themselves, leaving him free to be a bit generous in his interpretation of Bonnie's instructions. He kept to surface streets longer than strictly necessary, weaving effortlessly between slower cars, before taking the freeway away from the city and increasing speed. He'd lost one candidate - the one he'd left by the side of the road - when the speedometer reached one hundred thirty-six miles per hour; like most of the others, Alicia made it past this milestone with relatively little disruption in her vital signs.

Without warning, KITT turned off the pavement onto a rough gravel road, slowing by necessity. A few miles, far enough that he didn't need to worry about being seen from the highway, the road was washed out. He could tell when Alicia saw the problem by her sharp inhalation and the brief spike in her heart rate, but while her hands tightened on the steering wheel she didn't, unlike two of her predecessors, try to take control away from him.

"Brace yourself," he said, and turbo boosted over the gully with a bit more force than was necessary. Bonnie might disagree, but there was really no point in displaying his capabilities if he didn't display them to their fullest, after all.

"Damn!" Alicia exploded when he jolted back to earth. "That was... Your technical specs don't really do you justice."

"Thank you." Takashi had been the only other candidate to give any indication of familiarity with KITT's technical specifications, and KITT had gotten the strong impression that the man considered him nothing more than that collection of data. They had gone through their entire mission together with no more conversation than information requests and the occasional command. KITT hadn't realized just how much he missed having someone to talk to on the road, and he asked, "Shall I show you something not on the official tour?"

She settled back into her seat with a little laugh. "Show me what you got."

KITT picked up speed again, faster than what he'd normally attempt on a road in this condition, sensors and processor working overtime to detect and avoid the numerous ruts and potholes. He was not - precisely - showing off, he reasoned as he fishtailed around a corner; he and Michael had been forced, more than once, into far more foolhardy behavior. He was simply doing his best to give Alicia a chance, as Bonnie had requested, while still being sure he was making the best possible choice.

And she _had _asked to see what he could do.

His sensors picked up his goal before it was visible; a low concrete building by the side of the road, long abandoned and in such disrepair that going through it should be no effort at all. It was not a part of the official introduction, and KITT was fairly sure it was why three of the candidates refused to come near him afterwards. All three had panicked until he turned aside; Takashi had, at least, had the presence of mind to hit the manual override.

Alicia sat up straighter when the building came into view and he angled toward it, her grip tightening on his steering wheel. He waited for her to try to wrest control from him, surprised that he would actually regret not getting to work with her.

"You sure about this?" she asked.

"Trust me."

She didn't relax her grip, but she didn't fight him, either. KITT hit turbo boost again, striking cleanly midway up the building's wall; as he had expected, the concrete was already on the verge of crumbling, and barely slowed his momentum, allowing him to go out the other side.

He locked his wheels when he landed, spinning neatly one hundred eighty degrees to observe the building collapsing in on itself. Certainly, this was a far more impressive finale than anything Bonnie had planned for him.

To his disappointment, Alicia didn't say anything. He waited a few more moments, then depressed the accelerator and turned back toward the road.

"KITT, stop."

He obeyed, wondering if she was going to insist on walking back rather than ride with him when she got out. It was a pleasant surprise when she walked in front of him and ran her hand over his unblemished shell.

"There's not a mark on you," she breathed. "There's barely even _dust_."

"In addition to being virtually indestructible, my molecular bonded shell tends to repel foreign particles."

"Amazing." Her fingers rubbed the area above his sensor light, as if she still couldn't believe the evidence of her own eyes, then she reluctantly circled back to the open door. "Absolutely amazing."

"Thank you. I like to think so."

"You aren't even modest about it."

"In this case, modesty would require denial of the facts. I'm not..." Abruptly, the exchange was so familiar that it hurt, and he faltered before finishing. "...not programmed for such a deception."

"KITT? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Would you care to drive back?"

"What's the point of having a car who can drive himself, if you don't take advantage of it?"

The sense of familiarity vanished, easing the pain; in this, at least, she couldn't be more different from Michael. "Actually, my ability to self-navigate has any number of uses, particularly in undercover situations."

"Good, you can list them while you drive us back to FLAG."

***

"Ah, you've returned. And together; that is progress."

Devon's obsession with the miniscule number of times KITT had returned without his driver was giving KITT a new appreciation of the phrase _beat a dead horse_.

"KITT hasn't scared you off, I hope," Devon finished.

"Quite the contrary, I couldn't be more impressed." Alicia stepped out, standing in the vee of his open door and his body. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm yours if KITT will have me."

"Really?" KITT didn't think Bonnie needed to sound so surprised, either; he _had_ promised to give Alicia a chance.

"Oh, absolutely. I mean, smashing into buildings is going to take some getting used to, if that sort of thing is a regular occurrence, but..."

"Smashing into buildings?" Bonnie gave KITT a look which was, he suspected, best described by the colloquialism _busted_. "I don't remember anything like..."

"Devon," he said, before she could pursue the subject, "as I recall, one of the reasons for our urgency in selecting my new partner was a growing backlog of cases requiring Foundation attention. I believe it is safe to say Alicia and I are ready to be briefed on our first mission."

"Brief away," Alicia agreed.

Devon looked startled - really, did the man have _no_ faith in him? - but said, "Of course. Let me get my notes, and our briefing can commence in ten minutes. Bonnie, if you would make certain KITT is ready to go?"

"I'm on it." As Bonnie passed on KITT's passenger side, she leaned down to whisper, "Don't think you're getting away with this, buster."

"The objective was for me to select someone with whom I could work, and who was capable of doing the job," KITT pointed out. "From experience, I knew that certain aspects of the job weren't included in your course plan. So I improvised."

"Mmm-hmm." Bonnie shook her head. "I guess the important thing _is _that you're back on the job."

"Yes," KITT said quietly, "I suppose it is."


	3. La Cara del Diablo, part one

CHAPTER TWO: LA CARA DEL DIABLO (part one)

"The man you'll be meeting is Oscar Múñoz," Devon said. "You may know him from the streets as la Cara del Diablo."

Alicia shook her head. "Devon, the Face of the Devil is a myth. He's like the boogieman for gangs in LA."

"Mr. Múñoz is quite real, I assure you. For the past fifteen years he's been the right hand man for Hector Ramirez, though for the past eight his involvement has been entirely behind the scenes for, well, obvious reasons. KITT?"

KITT placed the photo which had been included with Múñoz' file on one of his monitors, and Alicia, who was still standing in his open door, leaned down to look at it. She whistled softly at the sight. "That's some damage. Fire?"

"Yes. By all accounts, he should have died, but Ramirez saw to it that he had, quite literally, the best medical care in the world. It's little wonder that, until two weeks ago, Múñoz' loyalty was unquestionable."

Alicia straightened and resumed leaning on his open door; KITT wondered how hard it would be to break her of the habit. "What happened two weeks ago?"

"Múñoz' youngest son died of a drug overdose," Bonnie said. "The rumor is that the drugs were a 'gift' from Ramirez, for the boy's sixteenth birthday."

"Yeah, I'd say that'd shake a man's loyalty."

Devon nodded. "Indeed. Four days after the funeral, Múñoz contacted the Foundation. He's willing to testify about Ramirez' entire operation, but he doesn't feel traditional law enforcement agencies are capable of ensuring his safety. I've had quite a difficult time delaying him without causing him to lose confidence in us, as well; needless to say, it is imperative that your meeting with him goes well enough that he will allow you to take him into protective custody."

That explained Devon's temper over the past several days; KITT was almost surprised he hadn't been sent out with whichever candidate had been handy when Múñoz initially contacted them.

"How sure are we that this isn't a setup?" Alicia asked. "Ramirez is smart, and he keeps his hands clean. Why would he be stupid enough to alienate someone with as much inside knowledge as Múñoz?"

"I don't know what Ramirez' reasoning was, and I suspect neither does Múñoz. He may well be hoping our investigation will uncover the reason behind his son's death."

"If he's on the up and up, he's taking a big risk meeting with anyone."

"A fact he's well aware of. He's being very careful not to disrupt his normal routine, which means timing is imperative. You're going to have to meet him while he's en route to Ramirez' legitimate business holdings in northern California, and you're going to have to do it without contacting him before hand."

"And if this is a setup?"

"Then inside KITT is the safest place you could be," Bonnie said before Devon could answer.

"And inside KITT is also the safest place Múñoz could be," Devon added, "though you may have a difficult time convincing him of that."

"All right. When and where are we supposed to meet him?"

"When is the day after tomorrow. KITT has the details of Múñoz' travel plans; he can fill you in on the way."

"Okay." Alicia settled into the driver's seat. "I guess we'll get on the road, then."

"With KITT's speed and ability to track traffic conditions and plot a course accordingly, you have plenty of time before you need to leave," Bonnie said with a worried frown. "It might be better for the two of you to get to know each other."

He should have known that he had Bonnie to thank for the delay in going to collect Múñoz. "I'm sure we'll have time to get acquainted on the road," he said reassuringly; now that he had an assignment, he felt the old eagerness to get out there, coupled with a desire to test whether he'd made the correct choice...and if he hadn't, he would rather know sooner than later. "Besides, since we can't contact Múñoz to let him know we're coming, it's best to give ourselves a wide margin for error."

"My thoughts exactly," Alicia agreed. "Ready, KITT?"

"Absolutely."

Bonnie didn't look convinced. "Be careful."

As if he could be anything less, with Michael's loss still sharp and bitter; KITT didn't want to contemplate being responsible for the loss of another human life. "We will be."

They took a few minutes to stop by the guest cottages so Alicia could collect her things. "You mean you've been on the property the entire time?" KITT demanded as Alicia got out.

Alicia turned to face him, walking backwards toward the door. "Not the entire time. But yeah, there were five other people here when Devon brought me in."

"But why?" KITT switched to the commlink so she could go inside without ending the conversation. "And why wasn't I informed?"

"Efficiency, I guess."

"Efficiency!"

"You were going through people pretty fast. After you dumped that one guy…"

"I did not 'dump' him. We completed our mission, and went our separate ways."

"Well, I guess Devon figured out there was likely to be a lot of going your separate ways after that, and he wanted the rest of us on hand." She fell silent; KITT detected a soft thump, then the snap of latches opening.

"Bonnie could still have told me you were here," he pressed after a few moments.

"Why, so you could creep around and check us out?"

"I do not _creep._ And I don't think it's unreasonable to want some forewarning about the people I'm expected to work with."

"I was already hearing rumors about you, psycho car." Alicia sounded like she was trying not to laugh. "I don't really think having you stalk us would have helped matters."

"What do you mean, psycho?"

"Look, KITT..." Alicia paused, and he heard the latches click shut, "there were rumors." She reappeared in the doorway, suitcase in hand, and KITT opened the trunk for her.

"What sort of rumors?"

"Psycho car rumors." She closed the trunk and patted his spoiler with a grin. "Clearly unfounded."

"Did these people even _look_ at the job description before they applied?"

"The job description didn't say anything about smashing into buildings." She slid behind the steering wheel. "Who's driving?"

"Do you want the 'psycho car' in control?"

She laughed. "You're taking this way too personally. Look at it this way, you're just more car than they could handle."

* * *

"So, a milk run," Alicia said once they were well away from the Foundation estate. "I didn't see that coming."

"What do you mean?"

"I was half expecting to be thrown on an impossible mission, something that'd give them a reason to get rid of me."

"But why?" KITT was genuinely puzzled. "I admit that Michael and I were frequently sent on jobs that were virtually impossible, but I can't imagine why you'd think Devon would _want_ us to fail. Particularly since the pool of candidates for this job isn't unlimited...and I apparently have already gone through most of them."

She snorted a laugh. "Michael - and you - might have been picked by the hand of God, but I wasn't. For the rest of us there's always a probationary period, even if it's not in writing. Especially if you're a woman." She patted his steering wheel. "Guess I'm just lucky their main interest is keeping you happy, huh?"

"I believe everyone's main interest is in seeing us complete our missions successfully," KITT snapped, unsure why he felt slighted by her doubts...except that the Foundation was, quite literally, the reason for his existence. Bad enough Devon doubted _him_; he didn't need anyone - particularly not the person he was supposed to work with - doubting his entire purpose.

There was a lengthy silence, during which KITT wondered if he really _had_ made a mistake, either in his choice, or his reaction. Then Alicia said, "You mind some music?"

"Of course not." He knew Bonnie had modified his music library to better suit his new driver's tastes, but he was still aghast when the opening cacophony of _Ride the Lighting_ burst from his speakers. "My word! What _is_ that noise?"

"Metal. The stuff you're made of." Now she was laughing _at_ him, but at least the threat of tension between them had vanished. "Don't you feel a certain kinship?"

"I most certainly do not!" KITT lowered the volume so he wouldn't have to continue to shout over her so-called music. "I never thought I'd say this, but your taste in music is actually more appalling than..."

"Michael's," she finished for him when he broke off. Sighing softly, she asked, "KITT, do you want to talk about him?"

"No." He didn't want to talk about Michael, not now, not in the past tense, not to someone who was still a stranger.

"Okay." She shifted in her seat, her gaze on the road ahead of them. "I'm sorry for being such a cynic," she said a moment later. "I know the Foundation isn't run like the LAPD; if it were, I wouldn't have wanted the job so much. I didn't mean to insult you."

"Apology accepted."

"But?"

"But could you please listen to something slightly less ear-shattering? I think the vibrations are actually loosening some of my circuits."

She spread her hands. "Hey, driver picks the music."

"I'm currently the one driving."

Alicia settled her hands back on the steering wheel with a smile. "That was my point."


	4. La Cara del Diablo, part two

"I swear, I'm never letting you drive again."

"What's the point of having a car who can drive himself, if you don't take advantage of it?"

"The point is getting to listen to music from _this _century."

"You're the one who said I could pick the music."

"I thought you'd pick something good."

"Tchaikovsky was an excellent composer," KITT retorted. Baiting Alicia was turning out to be far more amusing than he had anticipated, particularly since she hadn't protested his selections for nearly four hours, which was approximately three hours and fifty-two minutes longer than he'd expected her to last. "And I did select a version of the _1812 Overture _which used actual cannons."

"And you were complaining a little Metallica was going to shake something loose." She shook her head and turned to look out her window at the town they were passing through, one of dozens they had passed through so far, clusters of brightly-lit signs competing with the sunset for attention. "I think the least you can do after that is tell me where around here I can get a decent burger."

"Presently, within a twenty mile radius I can name at least six establishments serving the best burgers in the world, two with the best seafood, and three with the best pizza this side of Chicago," KITT said. Michael had tended to wax hyperbolic about food when confronted with attractive, friendly waitresses, but it wasn't as if he had any better basis for his suggestions; these weren't the types of places frequented by food critics, after all.

"Pick one; I'm starving."

Her request took KITT completely by surprise. Michael had sometimes asked him to select a restaurant which might impress a date, but he never asked KITT's advice when eating was the primary rather than secondary objective. He scanned his memory banks, trying to determine which location was most likely to have drawn Michael back for the food rather than the company.

She misunderstood his hesitation. "Please?"

"One best burger in the world, coming right up." KITT changed lanes. The place he had decided on would require a bit of a detour, but barring a natural disaster or sixteen car pile-up, they had time to spare.

"And am I going to have time to sit down and eat it?"

"At this time, a conservative ETA at our rendezvous point with Múñoz is twenty-two hours; we have between thirty-nine and forty-two hours before he arrives, allowing you to not only eat without getting ketchup on my upholstery, but ample time to stop and sleep."

"This really is a milk run, isn't it?"

"Our deadlines are normally much tighter," KITT agreed. "Of course, they had no way of knowing when I would select a driver."

"What if you hadn't?"

"I shudder to think." Tedium or unbearable annoyance, most likely; Múñoz was far too important for the Foundation not to send someone for him.

"Well, since we have time to spare, and you know where we're going and when we'll get there, any chance of you finding me a place to spend the night?"

"Of course." KITT quickly estimated when they would get back on course, how late they could reasonably expect to check in without encountering delays, and where they would be when that time arrived, then cross-referenced his information on motels in that area. He flashed an address up on his monitor, though he didn't really expect Alicia to pay much attention to it. "I can even phone ahead and reserve a room for you."

"KITT, you really are amazing."

"Thank you."

Alicia waited a beat, then added, "Even if you do have lousy taste in music."

KITT deactivated his monitor. "For that, you'll be staying in the sleaziest fleabag motel I can find."

"As long as I don't have to pay by the hour; I don't have an expense account yet." She flicked his steering wheel lightly. "And remember, you have to associate with whatever's in the parking lot."

"Good point." KITT accelerated to get ahead of an over-laden pickup truck and changed lanes, working toward their exit. "I suppose we'll go with the original plan, then."

***

They got back on the road later than KITT had anticipated, but he easily made up the time, taking advantage of the lighter traffic. It was something of a novelty to be the one driving; except when he was exhausted or otherwise incapacitated - or, occasionally, when he was indulging in a video game - Michael had always preferred to be in charge. Alicia, despite her threats of never letting him drive again, had said nothing when he switched to auto cruise and left the diner parking lot. In return, KITT attempted a musical compromise by selecting Phil Collins from his library.

Alicia stared at his dash for a moment, then said, "KITT, just go back to the cannons."

Midway through _Swan Lake_, which appeared to be putting Alicia to sleep, they pulled into the motel parking lot. "Nice place," she commented as she climbed out. She stretched, yawning, before going into the office; while she checked in, KITT scanned the premises. As Alicia had said, the hotel was nice, for the simple roadside stop it was, and KITT could find no one loitering about nor any overtly dangerous materials.

Nevertheless, as he waited he repeated the scan. Then a third time.

"Room one-eighteen," Alicia announced when she finally emerged, interrupting his fifth scan.

"What took you so long?"

Alicia gave him a strange look. "What are you talking about? I was in there for ten minutes, fifteen tops."

KITT could practically hear Michael teasing him for his paranoia..._wished _he could hear Michael teasing him for his paranoia. Without responding, he started his engine and located room one-eighteen on the far side of the motel.

Paranoid or not, he scanned it as he approached. Aside from the lack of curbside parking spots, nothing seemed amiss.

"Want to drop me off, then find a place to park?"

"Shall I spend the night in surveillance mode?"

"Do you think you need to? We aren't exactly in the heart of enemy territory, here." Alicia patted his dash with the kind of familiarity he had ejected people for. "It's probably best if you conserve your energy until we have Múñoz; we really might have people on our tail then."

"Very well. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night, KITT."

"Good night."

He waited until Alicia had retrieved her bag from his trunk and vanished into the room, then prowled along the row of cars until he found an open space. It was farther from the room than he liked, but as Alicia had said, they were in very little danger at a random motel along the highway. He parked facing the room and, after one final sweep of the area, let his systems drop into standby mode for the night.

***

KITT processed three things almost simultaneously: the sound of a rifle shot from above and behind him, the shatter of glass, and the spike, then drop, of Alicia's vital signs. All of his systems came up to full power at once; he threw himself into reverse, backing out of the parking space with a screech of tires and speeding down the narrow aisle to the front of Alicia's room. His sensors could detect her sprawled across the bed near the window; she must have been standing, looking out, when the bullet had struck.

"Alicia! Alicia, please respond."

It was a moment before he heard her voice, not through the commlink, but faintly through the broken window. "KITT?"

Relief that she was conscious flooded his circuits. "You've been shot," he said; she sounded disoriented enough not to have realized what had happened. "The shooter is still at large, and may make another attempt on you. You're less than six feet from the door; I need you to come outside where I can protect you."

Silence answered him, and he feared she had passed out. Then his sensors detected movement, and a few moments later the door opened and Alicia staggered outside. Her right hand clutched her bloody left arm against her side, which explained why she hadn't used the commlink she wore on her left wrist, and she blinked dazedly at him, leaning against the doorframe like a perfect target.

"Get inside," he ordered, his door swinging open, even as he analyzed her vital signs, estimated the rate at which she was losing blood. It wasn't necessarily a life-threatening wound, he decided, but they were over a hundred miles from the nearest hospital, without so much as an emergency clinic nearby.

He was already plotting a course to the nearest hospital when Alicia staggered to him and nearly fell into her seat. He lunged forward, door slamming shut, his laser restraints holding Alicia in place as he skidded out into the nearly empty street with a complete disregard for traffic laws.

"KITT...plot a course..."

"We're already en route to the nearest hospital," KITT interrupted. He increased the temperature and oxygen levels in his cabin; if nothing else, his years with Michael had taught him a great deal about dealing with shock and blood loss in humans.

"Oh. I'll just try not to pass out, then."

"You might also try to bleed less on my seats," KITT said, before remembering that she wouldn't have Michael's understanding of his sense of humor. "That was a joke."

"I promise I'll bring you a big bottle of peroxide to get the stains out."

Her voice was a little slurred, but she was alert enough to joke with him; that was a good sign. Still, as soon as he was on the relatively straight and open highway again, he accelerated further, the red LEDs on his dash ticking up to well over one hundred miles per hour. His years with Michael had also taught him the value of speed.


	5. La Cara del Diablo, part three

KITT sat in the hospital's overflow parking, angled across two spaces to allow his scanners to better cover both the main entrance and the emergency entrance. It was not an ideal solution - the hospital was simply too large for him to cover all of the potential entries from one position - but undue interest from a police cruiser had dissuaded him from circling the building hours ago. And, while he could monitor the building's exterior to ensure no one the least bit suspicious entered, no amount of careful positioning, of straining his sensors to their utmost range, could give him the information he most wanted.

The hospital's computer system was little more than a filing program, linking names and room numbers as if the patients were no more than inventory to be tracked. Drake, Alicia M., was listed as occupying room 314. KITT couldn't even gather enough information to determine whether her room number indicated intensive care, and her commlink had been removed almost as soon as she was inside the hospital.

"KITT?"

It took him far too long to process the voice and shift a portion of his attention to his immediate surroundings. Bonnie was beside him, a canvas bag slung over her shoulder; he hadn't even realized the semi had arrived, a long black shadow on the far side of the lot. "Hello, Bonnie."

She smiled; it did nothing to lighten the worry in her expression. "I thought I'd clean you up a little," she said, patting the bag.

KITT opened the door for her, and Bonnie flinched back, gagging a little. "I'm sorry, Bonnie; I wasn't thinking," he apologized, immediately beginning to cycle the fouled air out of his cabin; he had stopped processing the data from his interior sensors during the night, and hadn't considered how much worse the smell of blood would be after several hours in the sun.

"You have other things on your mind." Bonnie studied his interior with a slight frown. "We were worried when you refused to return to the semi."

"My place is here."

"I think Ali'd rather have you in better shape than this when she gets out."

"So she'll be all right?"

Bonnie nodded, nose wrinkling slightly as she returned to his open door. "Devon's gone to see her."

Crouching, she reached into the canvas bag for a spray bottle and cloth, and began cleaning dried blood off the inside of his door. KITT deactivated his interior sensors again and returned most of his attention to the hospital; he knew from experience that human blood was incapable of causing his interior any damage, and he had no desire to be reminded of just how much blood Alicia had lost.

Bonnie was finished with his door and working on the seat when the commlink activated; Alicia's vital signs spooled down the connection between the tiny device and KITT. He didn't hear what Bonnie said next, too busy interpreting that information.

"KITT? Are you all right?"

"Alicia activated the commlink." She was weak, from the blood loss and the pain killers in her system, but not in danger. "I haven't been able to monitor her condition in over eighteen hours," he explained, aware that Bonnie was still giving him a concerned look.

Any answer Bonnie might have made was interrupted by KITT's speakers coming to life.

"What I fail to understand..." Devon's voice, perfectly controlled and yet unmistakably furious, filled KITT's cabin, "is how both you and KITT managed to miss not only that you were being followed, but also the sniper on the roof across from your lodgings."

"I don't think we were followed." Alicia said, sounding both tired and annoyed. "And KITT wasn't in surveillance mode; of course he wouldn't have detected the sniper."

"Why on earth..."

"Because there was _no reason_ for him to be in surveillance mode."

"There is no justification for such sloppiness on a mission. You can be excused for lack of experience, but KITT..."

"KITT asked if I thought he needed to be in surveillance mode. I told him no. Nobody had any clue where we'd be, nobody had any reason to send someone after me, and in my judgment, all night surveillance would have been a waste of resources. So if you're so damned determined to place blame - and given the situation, I think you should be looking to see who in FLAG could have leaked our mission - put it on me, not him."

Devon did not immediately answer; when he did, his voice was still tightly controlled, but had lost some of its edge. "We will discuss this when you're well enough to return to duty."

"So I'll be returning to duty, then?"

Silence followed her question, stretching unnervingly. Bonnie placed a comforting hand on KITT's steering yoke.

"KITT?" The irritation was gone from Alicia's voice, and she sounded merely tired. "You there?"

"I am."

"I'm sorry. I thought it was only fair to include you in Devon's 'serious discussion'. I didn't think he was going to try to dump everything on you, though."

"Devon was correct. I should have anticipated the possibility of trouble and remained more alert."

"KITT." She sighed. "Don't you go crazy on me too, huh? There was no way for any of Múñoz' men to know we were there. Nobody should have been looking for us at all." Alicia laughed, then hissed in pain. "Maybe I made more enemies on the force than I realized."

"Not that any of them would have access to our location last night, either," KITT pointed out.

"I don't know, KITT. I was smarting off, but...maybe Devon does need to be looking to FLAG for a leak. It makes more sense than anything else I can think of." Another sigh, followed by a yawn. "Though they have me so doped up I'm not doing a lot of thinking right now."

"Speaking of which, you should be resting."

"You going to be okay?"

"I'm fine." KITT paused, then, to convince her, "Bonnie is with me."

"Well, you can't go wrong in Bonnie's hands. Take care of him, Bonnie."

Bonnie's worried frown eased. "Of course I will."

"Don't let Devon give him any crap," Alicia added, and the connection closed.

"What did you get us into, KITT?" Bonnie asked, a slight smile on her lips as she resumed cleaning.

KITT synthesized a sigh. "I wish I knew."

* * *

Devon joined them as Bonnie was finishing up, and while KITT expected censure, Devon's anger seemed to have faded, replaced by worried distraction. "How are you holding up, KITT?"

"I'm..." KITT hesitated, so minutely that he doubted either human would notice. "Fine."

Devon nodded, his gaze straying to the semi. "Bonnie?"

"I shouldn't be too much longer."

"Excellent. If KITT has no further need of your services, I believe it would be prudent to return to headquarters as soon as possible."

"Is something wrong?" KITT asked cautiously; he doubted Devon had been aware of Alicia allowing him to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I need to try to arrange a new contact for Múñoz, and there are a few things I'd like to check on. Nothing you need to worry about." Devon pulled his attention from the semi back to KITT with a half-hearted smile. "I suppose you'll be waiting here for Ali's release?"

"I would prefer to, yes."

Devon's posture relaxed slightly. "Then I shall leave you to it," he said as he turned away. "Bonnie, as soon as you're done here, we'll leave."

"At least Devon hasn't completely lost faith in my abilities," KITT said when he and Bonnie were alone.

"Nobody's lost faith in you." Bonnie settled into the driver's seat, her gaze sweeping his instrument panel to make certain she hadn't missed anything. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"The only thing I need at present is a driver."

"Don't worry, KITT." She gave his dash a farewell pat as she got out. "You made a good choice. Ali will be back before you know it."

* * *

Shortly after sunset, KITT detected via the commlink that Alicia was being moved. He queried the hospital computer; her room was still listed as 314, and he immediately shifted into gear, tracking her location while he approached the hospital, alert for any signs of suspicious activity.

He was nearly to the hospital doors when Alicia emerged, alone, her left arm in a sling and the commlink on her right wrist.

"KITT? Are you there?"

KITT darkened his windows; while there were fewer people around the entrance at this hour, he preferred to avoid drawing too much attention. "I'm coming. You look dreadful, by the way."

"Yeah, I love you too."

KITT glided up to the sidewalk in front of the hospital and watched anxiously as Alicia navigated the distance between them. "What are you doing out here?" he chided as he opened his passenger door for her. "You can't have been discharged."

"Nope. Left completely AMA."

"Then I ought to turn around and take you right back to the hospital's emergency entrance."

"Don't you dare." Wincing, she began to crawl over the center console, hampered by the sling. "Is there time to get to Múñoz?"

"We lost an entire day," KITT hedged.

"And don't think I've forgotten we had nearly a day to spare. What are our odds?"

"It's theoretically possible to still reach the rendezvous point on time."

"Then plot a course and let's do this," she said, settling into the driver's seat with a groan.

"Alicia..."

"Don't you Alicia me. If I'm only doing one mission for FLAG, it's damn well going to be finished," she snapped.

KITT felt a moment of panic before he realized her meaning was less fatalistic than his interpretation. "You're in no condition to be driving."

"I'm not driving."

"Or _upright_, for that matter."

"Shut up."

"Whatever you're trying to prove with such a foolhardy..."

"I said, shut up!"

Surprise silenced him, more than the order. He considered that, while she was correct that he couldn't force her into a hospital, he could and should return her to the semi; she was injured, drugged, clearly irrational, and no doubt clinging to consciousness with the sort of stubbornness he had become far too familiar with over the years. More than sufficient cause for him to allow his preservation of human life programming to override her commands.

Before Michael, he would have done so without a second thought, not turned to follow the course she had requested. California roads were never free of traffic, but the late hour meant he could make up some of their lost time through sheer speed.

Nearly an hour passed before a soft, "Hey, KITT?" reached his audio sensors.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"I don't suppose that means you're prepared to be sensible."

"No." She paused, then added groggily, "I hate hospitals."

"Most people do. That doesn't mean you don't need to be in one."

"I'm going to regret apologizing in a minute."

"And I'm afraid _I'm_ going to regret going along with this!"

Alicia was silent long enough to worry him. "I'm sorry, KITT; I'm not hanging Múñoz out to dry."

"And I'm not letting you get yourself killed."

For the first time since the hospital, the fingers of her good hand curled around the steering yoke, squeezing lightly. "Then what are we fighting for? I'm completely in favor of not getting killed."

"You are impossible."

"I know."

"At least rest," KITT said. "We have fifteen hours before we reach our destination."

"Wake me for breakfast." Her hand slipped away as she dozed off.

KITT kept traveling north, miles vanishing like smoke beneath his tires.


	6. La Cara del Diablo, part four

Just after dawn, KITT turned off the music he had been playing in an effort to quiet Alicia's restless sleep, and removed the tint on his windows, allowing the sunlight warming his passenger side to penetrate his cabin. Alicia raised her right arm as if to ward off the light, then twisted away. She jerked awake with a curse, hunching to her left, her forehead resting against the steering yoke, eyes and jaw tightly clenched.

"Are you all right?"

"I was shot yesterday," she growled through clenched teeth, "what do you think?"

"I think you should be in a hospital," KITT said dryly.

"Smart ass," she muttered under her breath. Slowly, she eased back in her seat, squinting at their surroundings. "God, I haven't seen sunrise since I was a rookie. What time is it?"

"Just before six a.m."

"Can Bonnie reprogram you to not be a morning person?"

"You've been restless for quite a while," KITT explained, "and we're approaching a town with several open diners and a twenty-four hour pharmacy. Waking you at this time seemed reasonable."

"When you put it that way. I should have at least stuck around the hospital long enough to snag some of the good drugs." She fixed his dash with a glare. "And no comebacks about how I should have stuck around until I stopped bleeding, or something."

KITT revised the next thing he had planned to say. "I take it the pharmacy will be our first stop?"

"Oh god, yes."

KITT found the pharmacy - a low cinderblock building sporting a truly appalling yellow and purple sign proclaiming _Phil's Phamily Pharmacy_ - and then proceeded to the nearest restaurant. In both cases, he let Alicia out near the door, then waited nearby for her return.

"I'm torn between being impressed by the service around here, and wondering what I did to deserve a baby sitter," Alicia said, tossing her bag of take-out onto the passenger seat.

"You got shot and proceeded to leave the hospital against medical advice and all common sense," KITT retorted. He pulled out onto the nearly empty street. "And you have less than five hours to be ready to deal with the men accompanying Múñoz. I think a little concern is in order."

"Probably."

Her agreement did nothing to make KITT feel better about the situation.

* * *

Fifteen minutes away from their destination, KITT activated a quietly beeping alarm. He increased the volume twice before Alicia's brainwaves indicated she was emerging from sleep, then waited a few more beeps before saying, "Alicia."

"Hmmm?"

"The restaurant where we're supposed to meet with Múñoz is just ahead."

Alicia stirred in her seat, straightening with a grimace. She wiped her good hand over her face. "Did we make it in time?"

"As the restaurant appears to be herding its patrons out the door with unseemly haste, I would guess yes."

"Okay."

When she didn't continue in what KITT considered a normal timeframe, he pressed, "Alicia?"

"I'm trying to plan." She smiled grimly. "Unfortunately, everything I come up with ends in a hail of bullets."

"An understandable preoccupation, at the moment."

"Guess we'll just have to watch for him to show up and make it up as we go along."

"I'll keep scanning." And then, because he had given up the _you should be back in a hospital_ argument some hundred miles before, "You should try to rest until he arrives."

"So you've mentioned every time I've been conscious for more than five minutes."

"With good reason."

"You're the one who woke me up this time." She squirmed in the seat, probably trying to find a less uncomfortable position. KITT suspected she wasn't going to succeed so long as she was tense with pain and keyed up from the proximity of their target. "Hey, KITT?"

"Yes?"

"When we get Múñoz in the car, I'm not going to be much use for keeping him in line if this is a trick. So if I tell you to taser him if he gets out of line, don't argue that you can't, okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"You can threaten him yourself, if you want."

"I doubt that will be necessary."

"Remember, if I pass out I don't want him touching either of us."

KITT parked by the curb across from the restaurant, where the last few cars were pulling out of the parking lot. "I can always eject him. I imagine hitting the ground at eighty miles per hour would keep him in line."

"That defeats the purpose of our mission."

"I didn't say I wouldn't go back for him."

Her lips twitched. "And they told me you didn't have a sense of humor."

"I'm hurt."

"Or feelings."

"Now I'm just insulted."

"KITT, don't make me laugh."

"I'm sorry. It did make you relax, though."

She flicked the steering yoke with one finger. "Are you playing mind games with me, psycho car?"

"I was only trying to help."

"I know." She ran her palm over the yoke's smooth leather. "I can't decide how pathetic it is that we've worked together three days, I've already gotten myself shot, and you're still the best partner I've ever had."

"That's because I'm the most advanced partner you've ever had," KITT said, uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation, since he couldn't - wouldn't - return the sentiment.

"And modest, too."

"I am not programmed to lie."

Alicia laughed, then hissed in pain and thumped her fist against the dash. "I told you not to make me laugh, damn it."

KITT started to reply, then his scanners picked up a heavily armored sedan approaching. "I think," he said, pushing all of his sensors up to full power and darkening the tint on his windows, "Múñoz has arrived."

Alicia went still, though oddly, the remaining tension drained out of her as she studied the sensor image he had relayed to his main monitor. "Then I guess it's time to look into the face of the devil." Her fingers drummed thoughtfully against the steering yoke. "Scan the car and restaurant. Tell me what we're up against."

KITT put a graphic of the restaurant on one monitor. "There are only four people remaining in the restaurant. The car contains five adult males, four of whom are armed."

"Cozy."

"The restaurant has two entries - the main one, and a kitchen entrance to the rear," he highlighted the relevant areas on the graphic, "plus one alarmed fire door which only opens from the inside." He highlighted that as well. "The dining area is buffered from the building's outer walls on these two sides, by the kitchen, obviously, and by what appears to be a storage area and restrooms along the wall by the main door. The remaining two walls contain several large windows which would make it extremely difficult to approach unseen."

"And once they're inside, anyone coming through the front door is a sitting duck."

"Precisely. Additionally, there is no cover to speak of in the dining area."

"So we have to get to Múñoz before he gets inside, or take out half the building. And I assume Devon would frown on us taking out half the building."

"Yes." The sedan glided up to the restaurant's front entrance, and three of the car's four doors opened. "If we want to reach them while they're outside, we're running out of time."

"Hang on." Three men emerged, and the car's doors were slammed shut. "They may have just solved our problem."

"The two people remaining in the car are the driver, and an unarmed man I must assume is Mr. Múñoz," KITT said as the three men scattered, one going in the entrance, the other two in opposite directions around the building.

"No direct way out," Alicia said thoughtfully, staring at the diagram. "The others have to be checking the perimeter. Are the car's doors locked?"

"No."

"Okay KITT, we have to move while those guards are distracted." She scrambled into the passenger seat. "I'll lay odds one of those two is going to check the kitchen, the other's going to check the far side of the building. While they're busy, you're going to ram the car."

"Alicia, you can't be serious."

"Yes, I can. Drop me right at the back of the car and then ram the front. I'll circle around to the passenger side and grab Múñoz while the driver is focused on you. As long as you don't knock the car into me we'll be fine."

"You're assuming you're capable of reaching Múñoz and removing him, possibly against his will."

"KITT, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't assuming that. Now come on, let's move!"

KITT started his engine, pulling a tight turn across the street and charging up into the restaurant's parking lot. He slowed as he approached the car, forcing his passenger door to open and stay open against the inertia pushing it back, so Alicia could jump out. The sedan's driver was already firing at them, forcing her to dive low. She hit the black top hard and rolled - he was certain the maneuver must have torn the stitches in her shoulder - but before he could worry about that she was up, and a moment later he was absorbing the force of his collision with the parked car.

The impact temporarily threw off the driver's aim, but as soon as the car stabilized bullets resumed pinging off KITT's shell. He backed away, aware that at this range the ricochets from his molecular bonded shell could be lethal to bystanders, and opened both doors. The driver struggled briefly with his bent door, then produced a second gun and twisted in his seat to continue firing at KITT.

On the far side of the sedan, Ali had the back door open and was dragging a shaken Múñoz across the seat. "Mr. Múñoz, I'm with the Foundation for Law and Government," she said in rapidfire Spanish. "Mr. Miles sent us."

What reluctance Múñoz had shown vanished at the invocation of Devon's name, and he scrambled out after her and around the back of the car.

"Alicia, the others are coming!" KITT warned.

Alicia shoved Múñoz into his passenger seat, leaving KITT to shut the door behind him while she circled around, ducking to stay in the shelter provided by his open door. "Go go go!" she shouted, even before she was fully inside.

A final few bullets bounced off his windows as KITT turned, speeding out of the parking lot and into the street.

"Congratulations, Mr. Múñoz. You're in protective custody," Alicia said, and quietly passed out.

* * *

The trip back to the Foundation estate with Múñoz was so uneventful as to be anticlimactic. Even so, Alicia flatly refused to allow KITT to drop her off at a hospital to have her shoulder tended, forcing him into the subterfuge of sending a data burst to Bonnie informing her of the situation. The result was a small army of federal agents waiting for Múñoz, and an implacable Dr. Alpert waiting for Alicia, as soon as KITT pulled into the drive.

He had not seen or heard from Alicia since, though her commlink indicated she was still on the grounds. Despite Bonnie's reassurances, he worried the first two days, then found his concern turning to annoyance on the third.

By the fourth day, KITT decided he had waited for Alicia quite long enough.

Remembering Alicia's assertion that she was not a morning person, he pulled out of his garage an hour after sunrise and drove to her guest cottage, then parked a short distance away. When she finally appeared from the small building, she didn't even notice him; to add to that insult, she climbed into the battered jeep parked beside the cottage and began to back onto the main drive.

KITT gunned his engine and pulled forward to block her.

The jeep stopped with its rear bumper nearly touching his fender. "KITT!" Alicia shouted out her window. She fumbled to get the door open, finally emerging with a frown on her face. "What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Devon hasn't fired me, if that's what you're worried about."

"I know, I checked the Foundation's payroll computer."

"So you're just stalking me?"

"You haven't answered my question."

Alicia sighed as she reached him, and leaned against his side. "I have been told in no uncertain terms that the time frames we'll be expected to work under preclude my commuting from my apartment. So I'm going to get my stuff cleaned out and put in storage, and then go to the post office to change my address and put in a forwarding order. Happy?"

"And is there a reason you're taking that...vehicle?"

"Because it's my car?"

KITT said nothing.

"You aren't seriously jealous of my jeep!"

"We're supposed to be partners."

"KITT, that doesn't mean I'm dragging you off to run errands."

"Michael used to take me on late night beer and pizza runs," KITT said, with a twinge of pain at the memory. He shook the moment of nostalgia off, and said sternly, "More importantly, I doubt you're in any condition to be driving; you certainly won't be after a day of packing. And we still have no idea who shot you. If you think for a moment that I'm letting you out of my sight under these circumstances..."

"Okay, okay. You can spend the day being bored outside my apartment." She slapped his roof lightly as she pushed away from him. "I don't want to hear any complaining, though, psycho car."

That was beginning to sound like a nickname intended to stick. "You know," KITT said as he popped the door, "I would prefer if you didn't call me that."

"And I'd prefer not to be called Alicia, but we don't always get what we want, do we?"

"I hardly think that being called by your name is the same as the implication that my programming is unstable and possibly dangerous."

"My _friends,_" Alicia said as she settled into the seat, "call me Ali."

The emphasis wasn't lost on him, and KITT considered her words carefully. The use of her full name came to him naturally, but he couldn't deny he had used it to keep distance between them, as well...a distance which was no longer fair, nor possible to maintain if they were to function as a team. "Very well, Ali: as my friend, would you please call me something other than psycho car?"

She smirked. "Oh, I'm sure I can come up with _something_, all right."

"Perhaps I should rephrase."

The smirk transformed into a genuine smile. "No worries, KITT." She patted the dash, then asked hopefully, "Little Metallica?"

"I fear what it would do to your stitches."

The smile became a short-lived laugh. "Damn, still no laughing." She settled back in the seat, thoughtful gaze on his instrument panel. "Pizza and beer runs, huh?"

"On occasion," he said, before she could get ideas. "_Rare_ occasions."

"KITT..." She took a deep breath, as if bracing herself. "Tell me about Michael?"

His reflexive rejection died before it reached his vocal processors. Michael had, in his way, been as important to KITT's development as Wilton Knight, or Bonnie. And while some of the memories - good and ill - were still too painful to access, there were years' worth of things he _could_ share.

"Michael was far more complex than most people gave him credit for," he began, closing the door and activating the occupant restraint system. "And he had dreadful taste in music. I think you would have liked him..."

* * *

Author's Note: This story isn't over by a long shot, but this seems like a good spot to pause for a bit, so I can focus on Indestructible.


End file.
